One Week
by S. Mark Gunther
Summary: Gosunkugi has to make a change, and it's one that will affect everyone in Nerima. (Certain parts may be lime, but for the most part it's all R rated.)
1. Prolouge

One Week   
By S. Mark Gunther   
  
Prolouge   
  
The night wind blew through Gosunkugi Hikaru's bedroom and rustled past the posters and talismen strewn about. Gosunkugi himself was sleeping rather soundly, visions of Akane Tendo dancing in his head. Another scheme was on his desk, another plan to try and win Akane's heart was mapped out. When he woke up, he would have his revenge.   
  
Or so he thought, as he continues to dream. his body shifted slightly to the wind and he shivered in his sleep. A eye winked open, and he looked over and saw...a shadowy figure standing next to the window. A rather large, lanky, very angular figure just waiting for him.   
  
Now Gosunkugi wasn't an apprentice magician for nothing. He could see better in the dark then he could in the light, and his well trained eyes focused in on the shadows as the moved towards him. All at once the wind in the room stopped and a hush began to envelop the space. Gosunkugi knew he was in the presence of something unearthly.   
  
"Who's...who's there?" He stammered softly, his head rising from the pillow as his eyes focused to adjust to the dim light.   
  
"I'm the man who's going to kill you. Say goodnight." a voice said softly.   
  
"Whaaaa....!!" he exclaimed softly as a rush of heat began to envelop him and everything went light....   
  
--   
  
The next thing Gosunkugi knew, he was sitting on a chair in a room full of white, his clothes gone and a soft set of white fighting robes in their place. A long desk with a rather angry and stern looking being sitting behind it was directly in front of his eyes. After that, nothing but white on white.   
  
"Gosunkugi Hikaru, you have been found in violation of the magician's code of conduct." the being said softly yet sternly. "How do you plead?"   
  
"N....Not guilty...." Gosunkugi stammered, his mind still trying to comprehend what was going on. "What offence am I being charged with?"   
  
"The unlawful use of magic, spells, enchantations, and conjurings for personal benefit expressly forbidden by the code of conduct for magicians and sorcers." The being threw a book at Gosunkugi, hitting him on the forehead with a sharp thunk. "Didn't you read this when you began learning how to cast spells on people?"   
  
"Ummm...I didn't even know this existed," he said as he hefted the book in his thin hands. It was very heavy and very thick, almost like a reference guide he used in class. "I just casted what I thought was going to get me Akane Tendo..."   
  
"Exactly." The being stood up and walked around the desk. His body shone with a soft light and his white on white clothing shimmered as he walked. His soft hair flowed and swayed as he walked, his face slowly losing it's sterness, the beautiful features coming out little by little. He opened the book and pointed to a page he had bookmarked. "It says right here that no spell can be used to sway another person to love the spell caster, except in cases of great bodily or emotional harm. In other words, you can amp yourself up to look better in their eyes, but you cannot use spells to force their love on you."   
  
Gosunkugi looked down and saw that in fact, he had violated the statute stated in the large rulebook. The gilt edges shone at him as he read and the accusations rung in his heart. But he had to make this being understand just why he did it. "But don't you understand? I had to make her love me! Ranma Saotome is an idiot! A moron! A simpleton!"   
  
"And the destined lover of Akane Tendo! Did you ever think of that, you little twit?" The voice was an emotional slap in the face of the young boy and he flinched involuntarily. "You were so determined to have Akane Tendo, you ran roughshod over the other, more outstanding commands from the office of Destiny! You idiot!"   
  
"Destiny was on their side?!" Gosunkugi gasped.   
  
"Of course! Destiny has always been with them. Ranma and Akane are the true lovers of Nerima. Get over it. You cannot have her, and you will never have her. Deal with it." The being snapped the book closed and walked back to the desk, leaving a heartbroked but still defiant Gosunkugi in his chair.   
  
"Then there's nothing to live for. I have no reason to live..." Gosunkugi murmured, his mumblings thick with emotions.   
  
"Well, you don't. At least the way you're thinking." the being sat down and pulled out a file from the binder on his desk. "It says here that you're quietly becoming one of the better students in the classroom, desipte your obsession with defeating Ranma. You're skills as a researcher have earned you a prestigious and well paid job as a lab assistant, and yet you use all your free time to find a way to win the heart of a woman who barely notices you. Your photography skillss are so well known they rival the best in the country, and you use it soley for your childish obsessions. I'd say you have very little to live for."   
  
"Then why are you keeping me here?" Gosunkugi spat out, his voice heavy and angry with unshed tears and cold reality.   
  
"Well, because you are either going to die today and become my personal assistant in the afterlife, or you're going to prove to me that you deserve to be trained as a magician in the full union code. You have 60 seconds to decide." the being sat back in his chair and clicked a button on the arm. A large timer descended and began counting down the seconds.   
  
"You're kidding, right?!" Gosunkugi exclaimed, his voice cold.   
  
"Beings like me never kid. You have 45 seconds."   
  
"Wait! What does this proof have to be?"   
  
"You have to prove to me that in one week you can defeat Ranma Saotome in battle, settle your crush with Akane Tendo by telling her how you feel, and prove to me that you're a useful part of the Nerima community. 20 seconds to chose."   
  
"What happens if I die?"   
  
"You become my personal errand boy and pet. You'll be mine forever. 10 seconds." A small sadistic smile began to creep over the being's lips. He knew just how Gosunkugi was going to choose. They all chose the same way.   
  
"I'll prove it to you." Gosunkugi muttured, his voice low and steady, his determination at full. "I accept your offer."   
  
"Good. With only 3 seconds to spare." With that, the being reached into a file cabinet and pulled out a bag with some items inside of it. He tossed it to the boy and it hit him in the chest with a thud. "Inside of that bag, is everything you'll need for this one week experiment. you have 3 homework assignments, each due on the first 3 days of the week. Days 4, 5, and 6 are your days to prepare your presentation to me. Day 7 is the day you present your demo and I grade you on it. If you score 80 percent or better, you live and will be accepted into the first level magician's training course. If you fail, you die on the spot and I take you as my errand boy. Is that clear?"   
  
"Is there a listing of all this in this bag?" Gosunkugi asked as he hefted the bag and tested it's weight. "Are there all the book I need, and necessary tools?"   
  
"With a few key exceptions, yes. Inside is our ethics book/code of conduct, a lab coat which you must wear at all times, a badge with your name and your training number, and a hat. It will appear to everyone in the real world that you're wearing your regular clothing, but to me and my review associates you'll be garbed in the appropriate attire."   
  
"What about required reading?"   
  
"All of that will be covered in the course syllabus and packet inside of your bag. You'll have a journal in which you have to record your progress with the materials and the experiments you conduct. you also have to write everyday on how you're feeling, up to and including the day of your demonstration."   
  
Gosunkugi shook his head in disbelief. Here he was, in the middle of finals season and now this being was forcing him to do an experiment, where literally his life was on the line. It was unbelieveable! "But what about my regular schooling? I have finals in a few weeks."   
  
"Precisely. Your first test is in 8 days, and I'm going to be starting the experiment the day after the final test is over. You'll still be in school for another 4 days after finals are over, so then you will start the one week labratory. Are we clear?"   
  
"Yes." He stood up to go but then sat back down, a question still on his lips, "What do I call you....ummm...."   
  
"My name is undecipherable, but for now call me Professor Calamity. Chaos Calamity, Professor of Historical Spellcasting and Wizardy, and Chief board certifier of the Worldwide Magicians Union, earth division, to be semi-formal about it. But you will know me as Professor Calamity. Are we clear, Mr. Gosunkugi?"   
  
"Yes it is."   
  
"Good." He pressed a button and a tube came down from the heavens sucking him into the plexiglass walls with a shlurping sound. The chair disappeared and a hole appeared below his body. "Good luck to you. And read the first page of the assignment list! You have an extra assignment for before you start the full week's work..."   
  
"You never said anythinggggggggaaaaaaa!!!!!......" Gosunkugi yelled as he was propelled out of the shaft and into the hole. He felt himself fall down, faster and faster, farther and farther, until....   
  
--   
  
He woke up from the bed with a start, his eyes widening as he remembered the dream he had been a part of. 'It's only a dream. That's what that was. Only a dream...' he thought as his eyes looked around. As he scanned the room, his eyes befell on a cloth bag with a pair of handles on it sitting on the top of his desk. It was the same type of bag...that he had had in his dream...   
  
"It wasn't a dream?!" he murmured as he laid back on the bed, his head throbbing with the blodd rush. There was only one thing that was clear to him as he laid on the bed, his mind trying to remember the events of the dream which now was a reality. Gosunkugi Hikaru now had only 2 weeks to live, and he had to fight every day to get his life back.   
  
---   
  
Nabiki Tendo walked along the schoolyard perimeter, her eyes clear yet clouded by the thoughts running through her mind. It was near the end of the year and she had to organize her thesis writing services for the people waiting to fudge their way through their classes, Tatewaki Kuno being one of them. She was a busy woman and busy people sometimes outsource their talents to others in the attempt to maintain their marketshare.   
  
For Nabiki, the market share she needed to cover was the covert pictures market. She normally had the time to be able to take as many interesting shots of unsuspecting schoolmates in various states of schecanery, but with the multiple research papaers she had to supervise the creation of and her own studies to be concerned with, time was becoming an issue. Then a thought came to her; she could use Gosunkugi to keep up her normal surveilence and still be able to do everything else. And her coercing of the boy would be little more then child's play considering the photos she had of him in many uncompromising positions of lust.   
  
She walked over to the tree she normally knew him to occupy in the early morning hours before school, and found only a note pinned to the base.   
  
Tendo Nabiki,   
  
If you're looking for me for some job, I'm not here. I'm in the labratory working. Please do not disturb me if you can help it, but if you can't be prepared to bring money.   
  
Hikaru Gosunkugi   
  
Nabiki was slightly stunned. Gosunkugi was a good student when he wanted to be, but he was not normally a morning person. In the mornings, she knew he usually preferred to snoop around and experiment with a new spell or take pictures of Akane when he thought she didn't know. She was coznigent enough to know people's tendencies and she knew her occasional business associate's schedule almost as well as he did. She had to, for it was her job to use his tendencies to exploit something out of him at a less then marquee price.   
  
She ignored the beating Ranma and Akane were giving to Tatewaki Kuno and walked into the school, her eyes still taking in and recording the scene for future posterity. She proceeded to the labratory where she knew he was at and looked inside. Gosunkugi sat looking intently at a book and scribbling notes, occasionally adjusting the dark sunglasses her now wore.   
  
"Gosunkugi?" she said softly as she stepped inside the dimly lit room, her feet resounding sharply on the tiles of the floor. His head popped up and his eyes focused in on her face, his head cocking in recognition. "What are you doing here? Aren't you missing an opportunity to spy on my sister?"   
  
"Can't a guy like me take a morning off to actually do some work that means something?" Gosunkugi's voice was oddly dark, the lack of sleep only palely resonating in the boy's voice. Nabiki picked up on this and assumed her usually haughty pose and tone.   
  
"Not when I need you to take photos for me. I have more important things to do and you're never doing anything that matters. That is, unless you want your dirty little secrets to come out for the entire school," she said acidly yet seductively.   
  
Gosunkugi sat silent for a moment, then stood up and walked over to Nabiki, gripping her forearm and wrist with an almost iron-like grasp. The girl stiffened a little, yet did not betray her shock in this to him through her eyes, or anywhere else on her body. His other hand reached up and took off his glasses, slipping them off his face. As his pupils became evident, she couldn't help but step back and seize the door handle.   
  
"If I do this, I want 75,000 yen, to be paid at the end of the day today, and some information from you. Also to be delivered by the end of the day." His voice was calm and measured, his hand like steel on her wrist. She kept her calm expression despite her growing alarm at his changed demeanor and newfound ferocity, quiet though it was. "I need information sheets and phisiological workups on each of the people on that list." He nodded to a sheet of paper nearest to him.   
  
"Care to tell me why?" Nabiki asked, her voice surprisingly steady despite his hand on her arm.   
  
"You don't really care about me or my actions. You merely want to exploit me for what I do and for your own gain. No, I don't care to tell you why, and if I decide to tell you later on, I'll tell you. But for now call this a collateral payment for services rendered." A smile began to cross his lips as he let go of her wrist and gave her the paper. It faded not as she looked at the small list, her eyes intently grabbing the information off the page. A small clock ticked the seconds in a stacatto, metronomically accurate beat, white noise to the two youth eyeing one another in the room.   
  
"50,000 yen and I'll have the information to you tomorrow morning. Can we make a deal?"   
  
"Deal." The boy turned curtly and sat back down, his finger swiftly reclaiming the pencil into his grasp that he had abdicated when he stood. His eyes went back into the material he was studying and his voice lowered accordingly. "Please leave now. Your first class starts in a few minutes and mine doesn't for another hour. I need to finish this before the rest of my work starts today. You'll have the spots I need to photograph for me at lunch, correct?"   
  
"Correct." Nabiki folded the paper and turned to open the door and leave, but as she did a thought popped into her head. Her head turned back to the boy now intently studying again and her lips curled slightly to mount one last charge against the newly discovered haughtyness she encountered. "You know, I still own you Gosunkugi. Remember that I still have you under my thumb, no matter what."   
  
"And you should know that the next time you masturbate, you might want to get under the blankets of your bed before you do it. Any pervert could just take as many photos of you as they would like when you dislay your goods the way you did three night ago. Even me. And I must say, you do wear black lace better then anyone I know." Her gasp signalled to him that he had struck a nerve and the sardonic, tiny smile he gave her verified that Gosunkugi was not bluffing her in any way. The dark glasses he wore sheilded his sparkling yet exhausted eyes from her shocked expression. "You may own me Nabiki Tendo, but you'll never control me again. It is a new day, and there are to be a few changes to be made. Good day, Tendo-san."   
  
She whirled on her heel, the slam of the door merely serving as the last shot in the first skirmish between the pervert and the business woman. Gosunkugi laughed a little and continued to work. His hands flew through the material, his eyes scanned the material with a speed that shocked even his mortal belief. If he hadn't begun the exercises the being had given him that morning, he could have barely gotten through the material he had to read for his tuning up.   
  
The running had helped as well. The other part of his first excercises was to go out running after chanting a spell to enhaqnce his physical powers to the 4th power. While he was not very strong, he had surprisingly speed and endurance and this was accented in the fact that he ran over 15 miles this morning in under 35 minutes. His body barely broke a sweat while his muscles seemed to be re-energized with new movement and growth. His appearance had even begun to change a little as his face and arms began to fatten a little, shedding the pale and rather emaciated look he normally milked to perfection.   
  
The glasses had helped as well. Even though his eyes would have appeaed normal to the passing public, a few people would have noticed the very real color change in his pupils. Normally his eyes shone a flat, waxy brownish hue. But now they shone with a rich, lustrous burgandy shade, accenting his now slightly lighter hair color. He was beginning to change before his very eyes and he didn't know what to make of it except to use it as a catalyst for change.   
  
His run had given him quiet time to think and his mind began to review his notes as the assigned reading he was working on began to wind down. He reevaluated his desires for Akane Tendo and the problems they were leading him into. As time passed, the beings analysis of him began to ring truer then ever in his heart. He was a good student, a hard worker, and a dilligent researcher. He knew he could match wits with the best students in the school if he really wanted to, but he also knew now that he preferred to be in the background. Always watching, always listening, always making sure he knew something someone else didn't.   
  
And Akane was someone he wanted to love, but as his run lengthened he began to realize that as much as he was fond of her, she'd never realize just how good a person he was. He could however become her friend and make his mark with her that way. And wasn't that what he really wanted all along? His mind began to echo more and more as he ran through the streets. Even while walking into school, the fact that few of the students noticed his ascension into the grounds didn't make him mad as it normally did. He was now a magician-assasin, a rare breed of being. His ego was beginning to grow as he began to realize that even with the difficult work he had to do, he was being given a golden opportunity in the one thing he truly loved.   
  
Gosunkugi closed the large book and packed the rest of his materials back into his new bag, adjusting the cloth hat on his head as he finished. Soon the table was bare except for a folder with a few papers in it. He took out the top paper and looked at it for the umpteenth time. The paper contained the syllabus of his crash course, and Gosunkugi looked between the lines of the assignment list with a quiet eagerness:   
  
***   
  
Course Syllabus: Independent Worldwide Magician's Union Certification Course, Earth Division   
Professor: Dr. Calamity   
Exam Duration: 7 days   
Preperation Period: 7 Days directly before the start of the exam.   
  
Course Explanation:   
  
This course is for the apprentice, or apprentice-level magician or sorcerer wishing to gain entry to the WMU. Over a 7 day period, the basic fundementals of the WMU code, along with the student's particular major course of study will be examined by the WMU certification board, proctored directly by the Professor of record.   
  
The preperation period is provided for the student to re-evaluate his or her skills, to choose the experiments used for the pratical labratory portion of the exam, and to do any long-term research necessary over for the main project.   
  
This exam is the basic measuring stick for the magician and/or sorcerer to use as a gauge on how his/her skills have progressed over a length of time and instruction. It is also his/her application for admission into a large and diverse community of beings chosen into this collective, our common goals being the denominator by which we are judged. For the WMU, it is a way to chart the ever evolving community they have been entrusted to protect, govern and serve, along with provide a fair and unbiased avenue into it's halls of respect.   
  
We hope you will approach this exam with all the solemnity and respect that is due to it, pursuant to the long and storied history of this organization. We also hope that your enthusaism forn the noble arts of magic and sorcery will patina your examination with the color of your character. This exam is solely what you make of it.   
  
Exam Requirments:   
  
The WMU exam is divided into 4 parts:   
  
1. Labratory Assignment A   
2. Labratory Assignment B   
3. Labratory Assignment C   
4. Independent Final Project   
  
The labratory assignments are 24 hours in length and they are an examination one particular ideal in the applicant's major course of study. They will be presented in writing, along with any applicable visual media. Each ideal must be approved before it can be worked on, and the approvals must be in writing before the end of the preperation period. If this fails to happen, the applicant cannot take the exam and must wait until the invitation is extended again.   
  
The final project is 96 hours in length, with 72 hours to prepare and 24 hours to present. It is the overall examination of both the applicant's knowledge of the field of study, along with the comprehension of the WMU code of conduct. The project will be presented to a 5 member panel with the inclusion of the proctoring professor as a member of the panel. This project must also be approved in writing before it can be executed. The deadline is the same as the deadline for the labratory assignments.   
  
All labratory assignments, as well as the final exam, must conform to the WMU code of conduct in all aspects of it's preperation and execution. Failure to do so will be so noted with a subtraction of points from the final score.   
  
The passing mark is 80% or higher. All scores under the passing mark can be appealed to the appelate board of directors for regrading, but if the applicant is not certified after the regrading, he will forefit his privilege to reapply for the certification course for 25 years.   
  
Grading Rubic:   
  
Labratory A: 15%   
Labratory B: 15%   
Labratory C: 15%   
Final Project: 55%   
  
All questions regarding any of the guidelines stated for this course must be directed to the proctoring professor.   
  
***   
  
Gosunkugi sighed as he put the paper back into it's manilla folder, the bell for the end of the first period ringing in his ears. He walked out of the labratory into the hallway and instantly began to see all the students meandering around as they passed between their classes. His body carried him to his classroom and he sat down, still deep in thought. The list of names he had given Nabiki were essential for his planning of the work he had to conduct, and he hoped that she would get him what he needed as soon as possible.   
  
Just as his mind began to relax and settle into the day's events, a crash resounded through the classroom as Tatewaki Kuno exploded through the front door, an enraged look on his normally tense face.   
  
"Where is that foul sorcerer Saotome?" he bellowed, charging in a moment after. His hands gripped his bokken with the strength of a thousand warlords before him, and he scanned the room with angry eyes. "I must have his head for taking my desires away from me."   
  
"Kuno, what the hell are you talking abo..." Akane started, beginning to stand up and to confront the boy she had defeated earlier in the morning. She was stopped by a thin arm as Gosunkugi brushed past her to walk into Kuno's zone of safety. His body came deep into Tatewaki's personal space and he stopped.   
  
"Tendo-san, stop. I'll handle this." His eyes turned to Tatewaki's and the agression and the anger he gave there mildly annoyed the kendoist as he evaluated the boy's advance. "What right do you have to come into my classroom and demand to see someone who isn't even here right now? Don't you have your own work to do?"   
  
"Gosunkugi Hikaru, be gone from my sight. I have no time to deal with failures like you. I must destroy that foul Saotome." Tatewaki growled, his shifting feet and body arming himself for a battle he was saving for Ranma.   
  
"Then you'll always be a failure. Kuno Tatewaki, I insist you go back to your classroom and continue your work. Even if you were able to fight Ranma now, you'd have no success, and then I'd not learn and then I would not be able to do your dirty deeds." His voice lowered to a hiss as he stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And you wouldn't want to have to keep paying Nabiki's prices, do you?"   
  
"....Insolent boy." Tatewaki sighed and put his bokken away, his light battle aura and subsequent anger receding with every second. "I'll not stand for your insolence when my schoolwork awaits. Ranma will wait. You will do work for me later, as I will rerain from punishing you for your disrespect."   
  
"Whatever. Just leave," With a flick of his wrist, he raised his hand and directed Tatewaki to leave. The kendoist shuffled out leaving the rest of the class stunned as they realized who had restored order to the entire class. The man himself returned to his seat, his head stoic, his face clear like stone.   
  
"Thank you for stopping him, Gosunkugi," Akane said softly, her own voice still a trifle shocked as she realized the strength in the boy. Gosunkugi turned to look at her, and for a long moment he thought about saying everything on his mind to her. But, his glasses were slid back onto his nose the black lenses shielding him from everything. With a slight nod of his head, he turned back to the front of the room, his entire body awaiting the start of the new day.   
  
---   
  
The final bell rang, and Nabiki walked out of the main gates, taking her usual route home after a rather uneventful day passed by. Her usual sales went through without a hitch, and Tatewaki Kuno seemed to be more clingy to her then normal, but all in all it was another day in the life of the queen extortionist. She was internally busy, but she didn't show it on the outside. Nabiki was a master at hiding her feelings behind a mask of emotionless disinterest.   
  
But her mask didn't stop a progressively stronger wave of color from showing up on her skin. She had been feeling this rush all day and she didn't like it. And the fact that Gosunkugi had caused this rush of emotions inside of her made her equally angry, for she knew the boy she had kept on a short leash was beginning to get away from her. It wasn't as if Nabiki had feelings for Gosunkugi, but she always had a respect for his abilities and powers noting the potential in his art even before he did. She knew he could be formidable under the right circumstances, and she hoped that she was on the right side of him when that happened.   
  
As she thought this, her eyes scanned across the park just off the Furnikan High School gates, and saw what she was almost intently looking for. Gosunkugi stood against the side of a tree, silently looking off into the far distance, his whole posture serene yet dagerous feeling, like a cobra poised to strike. This was ood to Nabiki, as she had never felt that kind of emotion from the boy before. Every once in a while when he attacked Ranma, the impression was there that his anger personified itself into a form of a mongoose; impassioned yet rushed, angry yet uncalculating. But the boy who came closer to her as she walked towards him was a now much more dangerous and lethal person then she had seen before.   
  
"I have your information, Gosunkugi," she said softly, touching his arm with the tips of her fingers. She reached inside her bag and took out a folder, her head turned away, shielding her from the sight of Hikaru's eyes focusing in on her. When she looked back, she gasped slightly as she saw the now lustrous burgandy hue in his eyes. He was intently looking at her, studying her, breaking her down. She knew this because if she were in a position of power over him like normal, she'd be doing the exact same thing. One spy always knows another when they see the signs and she knew that Gosunkugi was beginning to come into his own. "Although, you're going to get your information on me. Did you think you'd ever get any information about me from me personally?"   
  
"Not in a sheet of paper, but I have pretty much everything I need on you already." Gosunkugi sighed lightly and took the folder, rifling through it with his slender fingertips. "Besides, when you know what kinds of panties a woman wears, you really don't need to know that much else about her. And I must say your panties tell me a lot about you..." he said airily as he closed the folder. Then with a speed that even surprised him, she slammed him against the tree, the heel and palm of her hand digging into his still thin chest. His eyes matched hers, and from his calm surprise he saw her unusually furious expression harden and lock in on him.   
  
"You're not content to be a pervert for my sister that you have to now spy on me as well? You're pathetic, Gosunkugi and now you're going to be mine forever. There's no way I'm going to let you get away with seeing me naked," she hissed softly, her voice taking on her cobra's intensity. She could only feel their bodies as she made her point known, which intensified her further shock at Gosunkugi's newly found agression as he turned on her and slammed her against the tree. He left no impression on the tree, but the impact set the tone for a new set of calculations being run by the girl.   
  
"Why do you assume I was necessarily trying to spy on you directly? I was gathering information for my project. Jus the way you taught me, and just the way I assume you want me to throughout the rest of the week. you should be proud of me. I'm actually using your skills to level the playing field." Gosunkugi uttered these words with a soft, almost hesitant smile which did little to settle the rage boiling in Nabiki's blood.   
  
"What makes you think you'll ever be good enough to match me?"   
  
"What makes you think I was ever going to not get there? Just because you think I still love Akane Tendo? Just because you think I fear anything you have against me? You need me as much as I need you. We could be a fine partnership together if you'd stop thinking you're perfect and not able to be bested in anything." He let go of her and stepped backwards into the early evening. "I have work to do. I'll talk to you later." With a flash he was gone, leaving Nabiki to collect her thoughts and her things for the journey home. She only had one thought on her mind though as she felt her feet carry her to her home:   
  
How the fuck did Hikaru Gosunkugi get that dammed good?!   
  
---   
  
"Mr. Gosunkugi, it's been 6 days. Have you finalized your plans for me?" Professor Calamity asked, sitting behind his desk and waiting for the boy's answer, his light eyebrows flashing as he shifted positions. "I need to forward this to the grading comission after I approve it. Or I need to get you your lackey uniform if you decided to pack it in..."   
  
"Pardon my frend, professor, but no fucking way." With a smile, gosunkugi handed over a small report binder to the being. "Read and tell me what you think." The being too the binder, opened it and read the papers inside. Long moments passed in the space as the being contemplated the stack of papers, thinking about his evaluation slowly. Then he leaned forward and gave the boy his verdict.   
  
"I guess you really want to prove to me and the rest of the grading commission that you're worthy of being accepted into our little society. This is a very ambitious plan you've put together, lad." The being laid the papers down on the desk and looked at Gosunkugi intently.   
  
"If I fail, I fail. If I succeed, I succeed. but regardless of the fact, this experiment list is going to prove some things to the people I know. And if nothing else, it's going to make for one fun week." the young magician pulled out a pen and a notebook and prepared himself for the notes he would have to take down from the being. "Does my project approve your standards?"   
  
"Yes they do. You are now cleared to the first day of the practical examination. No changes will I make on your assignment list." The being placed the paper into a small basket on the top of his desk and snapped his fingers. The walls dissolved away in front of his eyes and he found that in a moment he was sitting in a large labratory, filled with desks, a chalkboard, all sorts of scientific equipment, sinks and whatnot. A true learning facility worthy of any good scientist. "This is where you'll be doing your experiments in the research arena. You can come here merely by using the entry spell given to you in your manual. Page 11, top section. We have everything you need from a simple microscope to the latest in genetic research. All the items here are at your disposal. Time stops in your world when you come here, so no time penalties will be held against you if you come here to do experiements. You can come here as often as you like during your experiments, but you can only come here a maximum of 12 hours all together your time per day."   
  
The being snapped his fingers again and the walls dissolved into a large library, dusty and weather beaten. Sunlight streamed in through the large glass windows like a vintage old school library, and other beings slowly walked around looking for books, or sat at long tables with huge piles of materials strewn about. In short, it was a place where studying was a way of existing. "This is the medical, magical, mystical, and psychological library of the WMU. Many beings use this to research new spells, older techniques, and generally have a quiet place to work. The same rules apply here as the rules for the lab. You have 12 seperate hours here, so you don't have to skimp on either side of the processes." He snapped his fingers one last time and they were back in the office where the entire saga started.   
  
"So that's it?" Gosunkugi asked, his mind swimming with the thoughts now rambling in his head.   
  
"Yup. But let me give you a piece of advice: Don't fear anything. Remember the old saying, "Who Dares, Wins". You cannot be a magician and/or a sorcerer and be built on fear. Fear is a stepping stone. Do not let it become a stumbling block. You have a lot of talent, Gosunkugi; do not let your fear hamper your creativity. You have to defeat someone who is not able to be defeated by normal methods. Use our guidelines to your advantage to get a victory. And remember, a loss in the world many not be a failure in our code."   
  
With a snap of his fingers Gosunkugi fell through a small hole in the floor, leaving the room empty as before. The being then leaned back and toked on a large fat cuban cigar, smiling a little as he thought of the enxt 7 days and how much fun they were going to be.   
  
---   
  
Gosunkugi found himself sitting at his desk, his newly found muscles and strength taxed after the journey. He looked over at the corner of his desk and saw his binder sitting there with an intricate rubber ink stamp on the front page reading, "Approved - WMU Examination Board". There was also a small postscript at the bottom that Gosunkugi read, the words making his hair stand up on the back of his neck in anticipation.   
  
'You're now on the clock, young man. Make every second count. Good luck.'   
  
It was going to be one fun week. 


	2. Day 1 - Closed Space Oddity

**********  
Day 1:  
**********  
  
Mousse walked over to the small house on the street, his feet carrying him with quick, sniper like precision. His hands were shaking as he carried the small bundle in his hands. He could only stay a moment, but he had to know what the boy wanted. His hands fingered the slip of paper intently as he came upon the small house, it's door slightly ajar. He pushed on it and looked inside, seeing two figures sitting in the early morning light.  
  
"Gosunkugi? Are you here?" Mousse called out as he stepped inside of the small room.  
  
"Yes. I'm here. Please, come and sit." Gosunkugi answered, waving at Ukyou Kounji and the empty chair that sat beside her. Mousse walked inside and sat down next to the slight, girlish figure that was staring intently at Gosunkugi. The ghoulish, yet now more strikingly powerful boy stood and walked around the small desk, sitting on the front of it, his hips and butt resting lightly on the edge.  
  
"I know both of you have to go to school, so I'll keep this brief. You both brought the papers I sent you?" Both of the martial artists nodded and showed the small bit of paper they were sent the night before. Gosunkugi nodded and reached inside his desk and withdrew a small bottle containing four pills. "I assume both of you read the paper's contents and are willing to deal with me?"  
  
"I am." Mousse said strongly, his hands gripping the paper strongly, rumpling and texturing the delicate sheet in his own china white, silky and work-hardened palm. Ukyou didn't answer but shook her head softly in assent to the boy, her school clothes looking oddly ill fitting and maladjusted that day. "I will do anything to find my love's heart."  
  
"And both of you are assuming that the match you've made with your, ...desires, we'll call it... both of you assume that this is the best and most applicable choice for you?"  
  
"My Ran-Chan is the best for me and I'm the best for him. I have no doubt in my mind that he is." Ukyou said softly, her eyes dropping slightly yet still holding their burning intensity. "I have no one else."  
  
"Nor do I," Mousse repeated sternly as his own eyes took on an intense, almost desperate glare.  
  
"Then the spell I'm going to give the both of you is a spell used to reveal your own attractive qualities to the person you're most compatible with. It will enhance and intensify your natural charm to almost 3 times its normal luster. But be warned: the spell works for whom you're the most compatible. If it's not the people you're going after, it will have no effect." He looked at the both of them with a hard expression, his face set like stone yet compassionately lined with the markings of hope. "Are you both willing to take that chance?"  
  
Both of the martial artists nodded their heads bobbing and weaving in the winds of change. With that, Gosunkugi popped the top of the pill bottle and gave each of them one pill. "Swallow the pill, stand and close your eyes while I cast the spell. Then go and do what you need to do." They swallowed the pills very fast and stood along with Gosunkugi as he bowed his head and began chanting in Latin. Soon he finished and touched both their hands.  
  
"It is finished. Go and handle your business. But be sure to come back this evening around 9 so I can recap things with the both of you." With that he smiled and stepped around the desk to sit back down. Both the martial artists left, leaving Gosunkugi alone with his thoughts and his notes, the papers strewn messily around the desktop. His voice dropped to a reverent, almost hesitant whisper as he sat back to think.  
  
"So it now begins..."  
  
---  
  
Mousse walked back to the Nekohanten, his heart shining and glowing with the hope that only comes from a lifeline being tossed from the ship of destiny to someone's shipwrecked and aching heart. His mind was racing so fast and so free that he barely noticed the people he knocked over in his eagerness to get to the store. He came upon the storefront, his eyes locking on the purple hair so prominently displayed therein.  
  
As he entered the restaurant, his eyes noticed that Shampoo was sitting next to Ranma, yet her eyes were crying and tears were staining her cheeks. Mousse's sharper then normal hearing instantly picked up the sounds from their table.  
  
"You no go on date with Shampoo?" The purple haired Amazon asked, a choking sob resounding in her words.  
  
"No, Shampoo. I told you. I'm going out with Akane tonight. She and I are going to have an evening when we're not fighting for once." Ranma's normally boyish voice was subtly softened as he tried to break the news to her as gently as he could. "I'm sorry, but I don't like you like that."  
  
"Shampoo...understand." At that she started sobbing and laid her head into her hands, crumpling into a heap onto the Formica tabletop. The room reverberated with the sounds of her wailing and Ranma made an attempt to move over and comfort her, but was stopped by a slim hand on his shoulder. His eyes scanned up and he saw Mousse standing over the table, his eyes grim and pale.  
  
"Please leave, Saotome. She needs to be alone now, even without me. And especially without you. I'll make sure she's ok, but you have school. Now please go." Ranma paused for a moment, measuring the strength in the Chinese boy's face, then slowly nodded and stood. He left in a great hurry, the bells on the door jingling softly as he exited.   
  
Shampoo saw none of this as her sobs began to grow and grow, till she finally topped out and stopped crying. She looked up to see that she was alone in the restaurant, empty and sitting at a table stained with tears, a small teapot and a cup of steaming tea with a small note attached to the cup itself. She leaned over and read the Chinese script with blurry eyes:  
  
***  
Xian,  
  
Drink this tea and set up for the days work. I'll be in the back doing the morning Ramen if you need to talk. I'll be here for you.  
  
Muu Tsu  
  
***  
  
Shampoo took the cup of tea and drank it down in a rush, her throat burning as the hot liquid slid down her throat. She sighed and walked into the kitchen, her eyes blurry and red. She saw Mousse standing next to the great pot of ramen slowly stirring the mass of gluten to the proper degree of doneness.  
  
"You no come for me, Mousse?" Shampoo asked acidly as she stared hard at the boy, her hands crumpling his note. "Shampoo think you happy that Ranma turn Shampoo down."  
  
"How can I be happy with anyone who hurts my friend?" Mousse answered while keeping his eyes on the great pot. The steam swirled around his face and eyes, shading the extreme amount of silent tears that flowed. "You're my friend. Why would I be happy seeing you in pain?"  
  
"Shampoo...no understand..."  
  
"I didn't think you would. So I'll make it clear. I'm not going to try and hurt you while you're being hurt. You need space, and we need to get the work of the day done. So I'm doing both for you." Mousse raised his head and looked over at Shampoo, his face oddly appearing calm and contented to the Chinese girl. "Besides, if you still like Ranma there is no real point for me to hold your hand and be your friend when all you'll do is hurt me. When you're ready, I'll help you."  
  
"Ok." With that, Shampoo disappeared into the dining room, leaving Mousse to stand next to the cooking pot and feel the beads of cold sweat roll down his cheek. His mind was reeling as he realized he passed up a golden opportunity, to make points with Shampoo as a lover...but he gave her what she needed as a friend. It was too strange a contradiction for him to figure out, but his brain echoed the sentiments of denial in his heart.  
  
Mousse was scared to face what he had done.  
  
---  
  
Ukyou walked along the early morning streets, her books firmly gripped in her hands, her eyes clear and bright. She couldn't explain it, the feeling of peace and hope she felt after she left Gosunkugi's presence. She knew in her heart that everything was going to be ok. She just knew it. Suddenly a voice interrupted her musings and forced her to focus back into reality.  
  
"Ukyou??" Akane called out as she walked up the street towards her, her own face bright and shining. "Are you going to class?"  
  
"Yes, Akane. Where's Ranma?" Ukyou answered as she let the youngest Tendo daughter come up to her.  
  
"He had to take care of something before class this morning. He'll be by shortly." The two girls walked up the street, Furnikan high becoming closer and closer. It's high roof becoming visible in the far distance of the Tokyo skyline. "We have a few loose ends to tidy up before our date tonight."  
  
"Date?? What date?" Ukyou exclaimed, her voice staying surprisingly level and calm, despite the cold horror she felt in her heart.  
  
"Well, I finally beat Ranma in a fight," Akane explained, "and as part of my demands to him was that he take me out. He kind of surprised me by telling me that if he was going to take me out he was going to make sure there were no outside interferences."  
  
"Like me?" At those words, Akane stopped and looked at Ukyou, her eyes hard and cold. They matched the pain and calm in Ukyou's pupils and this didn't register the type of reaction it normally would have. For a long moment the girls looked at one another, measuring the strength and fire in each other's expressions. Or, in Ukyou's case, the lack of any fire.  
  
"Ukyou, I think it's time to be honest. I...I really like Ranma. And I think he really likes me. I want a chance to make it work without everyone in my way." Akane's voice was flat and toneless, yet the unshed tears in her words resonated like a shotgun blast.  
  
"I understand." Ukyou's face contorted into a gentle smile, nearly belying the almost believable qualities in her expression. She nodded her head as if she was almost expecting Akane's words. "I don't think I've been that much of a friend to Ranma to even put up a fight..."  
  
"It isn't about fighting. I just want one date with him to see if it works between us. If not, everyone else can have him. But I've been patient too long with him and with everyone else." Akane kept her face firm while trying to figure out Ukyou's sudden change of tone. It unnerved her that she was so calm, so ethereal, so unmoved. She turned and walked towards the school, her footsteps swift and efficient on the slowly warming sidewalk.  
  
"I only hope you two are happy." Ukyou added as she walked along with Akane. For a long while, neither girl said a word as they neared the gates of the school. Both looked silently for Ranma while keeping a mask of calm on their normally animated faces. Neither noticed the lack of Gosunkugi in his usual hiding spot, a detail they normally never missed.  
  
"Akane? Ukyou?" Both girls turned around to the sound of Ranma yelling at them and running, his motions smooth yet halting.  
  
"Good morning, Ranma. Akane was just telling me about your date tonight," Ukyou called out, a surprisingly broad smile on her lips. Both Akane and Ranma blanched equally as they watched her speak, their lips merely moving in unison, no sound emerging from their throats. "I'm just glad that you both decided to stop fighting for once. I'll be out of the city this evening, so you'll both need not worry about me."  
  
"Ukyou, you're not an annoyance," Ranma waffled, his voice halting out while he dismissed Akane's icy look towards him.  
  
"Well, be it as it may. I'll leave you alone today, Ran-Chan. Good day." With an icy calmness, Ukyou turned on her heels leaving the two fiancées to their own devices. Her thoughts blocked out the small-scale argument that erupted in her wake between Ranma and Akane, and she was glad for it. The smile that plastered itself on her lips could only hold back the pain inside her heart for a little while. She stepped inside the school and made her way to the nearest bathroom, slipping inside and making a beeline towards the farthest stall.  
  
She sat down on the toilet seat and curled her feet up into a mock fetal position; her smile still prominent on her face, her rocking back and forth only coming after a small laugh escaped her lips. The laughing increased in pitch till it morphed into a sobbing cry, soft and delicate though it was. Her face, so serene and calm a moment before, had morphed and twisted into a snarling, tangled mess of emotions. Loss, anger, detached aloofness, and a lack of desire all tangled up inside of her, pushing the tears she had been holding back all morning out of her eyes. The tears were an early summer rain on the barren field of her emotions.  
  
---  
  
"Mousse?"  
  
"Yes, Cologne?" Mousse answered as he dried his hands and put down the rag he was wiping tables with.  
  
"Please make a delivery to the high school and give this package to Ranma. I would send Shampoo to do it, but as you can tell she's in no condition to do anything more then cook the ramen." Cologne passed the small, plainly wrapped box to the Chinese boy and he slid it into some unknown and sublimely safe place on his body. "He should be going to lunch soon, so you'll have to hurry."  
  
Mousse nodded and turned to leave but was stopped as he heard Cologne's voice again. "Boy, did Shampoo tell you what was wrong with her? Did you cause this?" He looked at the elder with surprisingly little emotion and sighed softly.   
  
"Honored Elder, I saw everything. I watched Ranma Saotome turn her down and send her into this sadness."  
  
"And you did nothing," Cologne said flatly.  
  
"No. I sent him away and gave her some tea. She didn't need to see him then, and I didn't want him to hurt her more." Mousse turned and walked out, leaving the now thoughtful Cologne in his wake. He walked to the high school, his mind a mosaic of thoughts and images. Soon he found himself standing at the school gates, wondering why he was giving a lunch to a man he had no respect for. With a smooth motion he tossed the box lunch into the bushes and turned to walk off. All of a sudden he saw a distraught Ukyou walking out of the school, her eyes red and puffy.  
  
"Ukyou?" Mousse called out, his feet carrying him towards her. She looked and saw the Amazon boy advancing towards her. Her heart suddenly began to rise up as she peered into his eyes. "Why do you look like you've been crying?"  
  
"Because I have," she answered shortly, her sense of determination coming back in a flash. "Ranma and Akane are going out on a date tonight and there is nothing I can do about it."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You do?" Ukyou asked, her face beginning to show signs of confusion at Mousse's words and demeanor.  
  
"Yes. Ranma came in and told Shampoo to not bother him this evening while he was on his date. She didn't take it well. She still isn't, as a matter of fact." Mousse stood still a few feet away from Ukyou, noting her tear stained face begin to brighten and glow a little as she looked at him. He smiled at her without thinking and stepped closer. "I guess the spell that Gosunkugi gave us failed."  
  
"I think so. I was colder to Ranma this morning then I've ever been before. I even congratulated them," Ukyou moved even closer to Mousse, feeling the aura of his personality wash over her. "Though, I'm not that angry at Ranma. Just disappointed. I could be better for him then Akane."  
  
"As I could be for Shampoo, though I know why she hates me. Why Ranma would pass up on you is beyond me, seeing you are rather cute," Mousse said with a smile.  
  
"You're just saying that," Ukyou replied, her cheeks reddening and flushing over slightly. "But the same could be said for Shampoo denying you, I guess."  
  
"Thank you. I always knew you knew quality." Mousse could see the tears beginning to run away from her eyes and they stepped even closer to each other. The world began to slip away from their view as they inched closer and closer together, their hands nearly meeting, their bodies nearly rubbing together. It was almost as if an inner desire was pulling them together but almost as soon as they seemed to come close to the point of no return their sense of reality kicked back in and they pulled back from each other with a deep blush.  
  
"Um..." Mousse said softly, his feet sliding back to a more neutral position.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry...I didn't know we were..." Ukyou seemed to blush with an even greater intensity as Mousse backed away, her head dropping slightly to her chest. "I.... I think I'd really like to go to lunch with someone..."  
  
"Someone like..."  
  
"Someone like you." At that, their heads moved up and they looked at each other for a long moment. Mousse could only nod his head in assent as they turned and walked towards Ucchan's. A tree rustled softly in the morning air and the sun shined down upon them with a smile. Neither martial artist noticed or heard the shutterbug in the tree observing and photographing them in motion. A small chuckle came from the tree as they passed out of the range of the photographer. With a slither and a slink, Gosunkugi dropped from the tree and walked towards Ucchan's being careful not to have either of them notice his footsteps.  
  
'It's working. The spell is working. But I must be patient,' he thought as he reloaded his camera and planned. 'I need something else. Something more.' Suddenly he stopped and walked back into the school, knowing whom he had to see and what he needed to acquire.  
  
---  
  
"Damn Ukyou! Did you have to get us kicked out of that club?" Mousse giggled as they began to walk down the crowded mid-evening street. Ukyou clung lightly to his arm and their laughter made other people turn and watch them. "I was actually liking the music they played!"  
  
"You should! You're the one who was singing that American singer with a pair of panties on your head!" Ukyou gasped, her smiles and joy evident as she kept on laughing.  
  
"It was a karaoke bar! I was totally in my right to do that! And besides that Tom Jones is a fine singer!" Both youth laughed until their sides ached, their walking bringing them right into the side of a brick wall. Mousse slumped against the wall bringing a partially inebriated Ukyou along with him. The people passing the pair looked on in mock concern as they passed but made not a move to speak to them. Mousse couldn't stop laughing as he realized where they were and he struggled to lift them both up.  
  
"Oh damn! What have we done, Ukyou?" Mousse wheezed as he got back to his feet, a sloppy Ukyou clinging to him like a spar. "First lunch, then a movie and now all the drinking at the Karaoke Bar.... what were we thinking??"  
  
"That we're both tired.... of being good..." Ukyou replied slowly, her own tongue finally becoming thick with the drink they had both imbibed.  
  
"Maybe..." Mousse smiled and put Ukyou back upright. They began to walk unsteadily down the street, their laughter erupting again as they continued to talk. "I'm just so glad that we decided to get drunk together..."  
  
"Well, maybe it's the alcohol, but I.... I think you're really cute and a fine catch, Mousse," Ukyou replied slowly as she stepped in front of Mousse. They stood still in the sidewalk, looking intensely at one another. Time began to slow down and nothing else seemed to register in their minds. Their eyes sparkled with the alcohol and a new sense of affection and togetherness that had finally risen up to the surface. Ukyou leaned up as Mousse leaned down and they kissed. It was soft and hard, tender and savage, both of their hearts responding to the closeness of their bodies. For a long moment they held their first kiss amidst the seas of people walking to and fro. And then came a voice...  
  
"Ukyou??" At that strident call the two youth flew apart and turned to the source of the sound. It came from behind Ukyou's back. They focused in on the sight and saw that it came from Ranma Saotome. He stood with Akane, a shocked expression on both their faces. Ranma's expression echoed disbelief while Akane's echoed wonderment. "What are you and Mousse doing??"  
  
"I.... I.... Ranma.... I...." Ukyou stammered as she tried to explain herself. She could feel her eyes locking in on Ranma's stunned expression and her heart began to break all over again. "I.... Mousse and I were out on a date. We were walking home and well...things got interesting." Ukyou felt disconnected; her voice was cold and distantly controlled as her emotions began to both crystallize and liquefy. She felt as if her love for Ranma wasn't real anymore and yet she was still drawn to him. Then her eyes looked up at Mousse's and found strength in his large dark green pupils.  
  
"Yes. We didn't meant to start making out in the street," Mousse continued, "But I kind of just happened..."  
  
"I see." Ranma said, his face beginning to break into an intense smile. "Well, I hope you two are happy together."  
  
"As do I." Akane said, her own eyes locking down on Ukyou's face, a relieved expression permeating every fiber of her skin. Ukyou saw this and felt the tears beginning to rise up again. With a strong grasp, she pulled Mousse forward and they walked past Ranma and Akane, neither saying another word. Her heart and mind began to blank out as she tried to keep the tears back. As soon as they were clear of the other pair hearing, Ukyou started to speak.  
  
"It didn't work..." Ukyou said, her sadness making her voice less shaky.  
  
"What didn't work?" Mousse asked, his own voice slow and steady.  
  
"That damn spell. That damn spell that Gosunkugi had us take. It didn't work. I shouldn't have been like that to my Ran-Chan! I shouldn't have kissed you..." She trailed off and continued to walk forward but was stopped as she felt Mousse's body lock into place. She let his arm go and looked up at his face, gasping at the intense anger that seemed to radiate from the boy. Mousse could only look off into the distance; his own heart beginning to scream out in feelings that he couldn't define.  
  
"So that kiss meant nothing to you?" Mousse asked softly.  
  
"I...I mean.... I...." Ukyou stammered, her anger halted slightly by Mousse's apparent hurt. "I...I meant that I was supposed to be..."  
  
"With Ranma?" Mousse interrupted, his voice slicing through the last line of her defense like a hot knife through butter. She hung her head in shame and seemed to visibly crumple like a flower. She felt Mousse's hand on her shoulder and looked back at his face, the skin now stained with a patina of tenderness. "I can't blame you for feeling this way. I didn't think of Shampoo at all today...not the way I've been thinking of you..." both youth blushed at his words, Ukyou slightly more then Mousse.  
  
"I think we need to see Gosunkugi..." Ukyou said softly.  
  
---  
  
Gosunkugi sat back down on the small couch, a large tumbler of sake firmly in his hand. He took a sip and looked down on his wrist. The watch read 8.45 and a yawn escaped from his lips. He sighed softly and took another sip, placing the glass down on the small table in front of him. He looked around the warehouse and smiled; Nabiki had made a great choice for his new place of work. And considering the rent was so cheap it had afforded him a bit of leeway in choosing the little amount of furniture he put inside. Though most of it was functional and with a defined purpose, specifically the drafting table and supplies, some were merely for his whims. He had to smile at the gentle lighting he had purchased, the throw rug he had found in the old man's garage. All of it made this tiny cramped warehouse look more like a workspace then a dingy abode.  
  
The smell of oil from the refinery across the water was not strong enough to cause discomfort and yet it gave the entire room a unique aroma. Gosunkugi got up and walked over to the desk. He lit the last candle on the desk and blew out the match, the sulfur scent adding itself to the patchwork of smells. He turned to the door just as it resonated with the sound of someone knocking. It was hard, intense knocking. The kind of knocking that makes mortal men jump out of their skin and small girls shiver with fright. And yet, Gosunkugi merely walked over to the couch and sat back down.  
  
"Come in," he said loudly, reaching down to pick up the glass on the floor directly ahead of him. But before his hand got there, the glass shattered in an explosion of alcohol and glass. He looked up and saw Mousse in the end of his throwing motion, a very pissed Ukyou Kounji standing at his side. Both carried an expression of extreme displeasure on their faces. Both leveled their gazes at Hikaru's body and seemed to focus in on his person. "I see you've tried to get your obsessions..."  
  
"You lied!! You lied to the both of us!! All you did was take us for our money, you little creep..." Ukyou yelled, walking forward towards Hikaru. Her anger seemed to radiate from every pore on her body. An equally mixed in layer of disappointment seemed to make it known as well and it was at that moment that Hikaru knew that he only had one chance at this and he had to take it. "You told us you were going to make us more attractive to the ones we were truly destined to be with!"  
  
"No. I said I'd make you both more attractive to the ones you were most compatible with. And that I did. Or do these pictures lie?" Gosunkugi said strongly as he rose up and slinked over to the desk. He picked up a large 8 by 10 inch glossy photo of Mousse and Ukyou together earlier in the day. They sat at a table and their hands were clasped together, a soft set of smiles plastered to both of their faces. "I have pictures of the both of you at most of the stages of your day together..."  
  
"What!!!!" Ukyou screamed, charging forward. But just as she was going to leap over the table, a chain caught her hand. She stopped and looked back to see Mousse holding onto the chain and looking stern.  
  
"Ukyou, wait." He walked forward still holding onto the chain. Gosunkugi could feel another aura radiating from Mousse, an aura of extreme anger and frustration. It made him quiver with fear inside all the way to his bones. But he stood firm and looked back at Mousse as strongly as he could. "Hikaru Gosunkugi, you're telling us that you spied on both of our movements and took photos?"  
  
"Yes. In a manner of speaking." Hikaru stepped back and pulled out the chair behind the desk, sliding into the soft cushiony seat with an inaudible sigh. "I had kept an eye on Ukyou because Nabiki Tendo asked me to in the previous evening, but when I realized that the two of you were going off alone together I decided to follow and see what happened. Little by little I took pictures of the both of you and saw both of getting on like truly compatible would. I think that you've both been looking in the wrong place."  
  
"Looking in the wrong place for what?" Mousse asked in a deadly calm voice, his hand still grasping onto the chain that kept Ukyou's hand and arm from moving. The okonomiyaki chef could merely stand and look at the thin boy with a mixed set of emotions swirling in her eyes.  
  
"For the ones you're most compatible and, consequently, should be with romantically. Now Ukyou," Hikaru asked, his eyes locking onto hers, "Didn't you enjoy Mousse's company while you sat at the table and held you as you cried your eyes out? Didn't you smile at his bad jokes and flirt with him?"  
  
"Yes...but..." Ukyou stammered, her anger beginning to recede.  
  
"And Mousse," Hikaru said, interrupting the stammering girl, "Didn't you smile when she proceeded to tell you how handsome you were after the showing of Maison Ikkoku? Didn't you hold her hand a little tighter as you walked onto the karaoke bar?"  
  
"Yes. And I kissed her...later on..." Mousse said slowly, his own voice and arms beginning to drop down as his shame and embarrassment began to rise up in him. "I...I liked her company. I..." He haltingly breathed as he turned Ukyou to face him, "I liked having you with me. I...I like you..."  
  
As Ukyou looked up into Mousse's lustrously animated eyes she felt more tears begin to unearth themselves from her cheeks. She pushed past Mousse and ran out the door as fast as she had come in. "Ukyou!! Wait!!" Mousse called out as he turned to run after her but was stopped as Hikaru's voice called him back.  
  
"Mousse! Take this!" As he turned he threw a small-wadded piece of paper to the Amazon boy. Mousse caught it and opened it warily. "It's my phone number. Call me when you find her and tell me what happened."  
  
"I will." Mousse turned and ran out, leaving a relieved Hikaru to sit in the garage. Mousse tore down the street as fast as he could, hoping to catch the girl before she got to far ahead of him. His fears of losing her were alleviated soon after he began running as he saw her sitting on a bench underneath a streetlight. The streetlight cast a pale light down into the darkness of the early evening, the last streaks of the fading western sun finally beginning to subside. Even before his feet carried him to her, he could hear her sobbing and wailing. His heart ached for her as he knelt beside the weeping girl.  
  
"Ukyou, listen to me. I...I'm glad we got together, even if it was because of Hikaru's botched spell..." Mousse said softly, his hands reaching out to her.  
  
"But what if I still love Ranma?" Ukyou spluttered out, her tears and sobs mingling with her words. "What if I still can't get him out of my mind?"  
  
"Why don't you replace him with me?" At Mousse's words, both their eyes came up and for a moment it seemed as if nothing was going to happen. Ukyou's hiccupping sobs stopped in their tracks and it was all she could do to not run away. Instead, she leaned forward and took him into her arms, her own body being surrounded by his. They hugged as best they could, the bodies twisting and bending and meshing together. She began to cry again as she buried her head in his shoulder. Mousse rubbed her back and sighed as another cog was thrown deep into his life's machine.  
  
---  
  
"So that's what happened?" Prof. Calamity asked Hikaru as they sat across from each other in the instructor's office.  
  
"Yes. Mousse called me 3 hours later and told me everything they did after that. Between the fight that Ukyou and Shampoo had over Mousse and the fact that Mousse was calling from Ukyou's house seems to tell me that they've become something more. If they're not a couple, they're definitely special friends now. I did it." Hikaru said, his own voice beginning to quiver slightly as he breathed a deep sigh of relief.  
  
"Well, you're going to have to keep an eyes on this, you know," Calamity said as he looked over the portfolio of notes, pictures and writings Hikaru had given him. "It says here that you used the combination spell called 'Intense Heat'. Do you know that the lifespan of that spell is less then a week?"  
  
"Yes, but I also added the Cement spell. I used it to bind their threads together and by the time that one wears off nature should have already taken its course." Hikaru looked down at his shoes and sighed. "I know it was a screwed up thing to do, tricking them as I did. But I thought there was no other way to get them together. I figure that between the temporary bracing spells and their compatibility numbers, the chances of them making it as a couple are good."  
  
"Yes, I did notice you had highlighted their compatibility numbers on your stat sheet." A long moment passed before he looked back at Hikaru. "You used the Intergalactic Standard Tabulation Scale in determining these figures?"  
  
"Not only did I use the Scale, but I also used the Astrological table and the blood type workups in tabulating the results. It was a safe bet, Professor." Neither man spoke for a long moment, both deep in thought. Finally Professor Calamity spoke, his voice full of respect and admiration.  
  
"You know, when you told me your ideas I thought they had no credence whatsoever and that they were amateurish and weak at best. I could have never made this combination work using the skills I learned. You have made a great start, young man..."  
  
"Thank you!" Hikaru interrupted, his voice filled with hope.  
  
"...But a good start is all this is. You still have two homework assignments and the final. You have a long way to go, young sorcerer. Now go. You're on the clock for Day 2 already." The being turned in his chair and listened as Hikaru left the room. He smiled softly and rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the next day's results. All was coming along nicely. 


End file.
